Conquest
by Akatala
Summary: [On Hold] What are the Shinma doing now? Who is that guy? Why was Miyu found collapsed in the snow? Better yet, where the heck is Larva? Based on the OAVs.
1. Prologue

Conquest  
  
By Penguine  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. I just play with them. ^_^  
  
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Prologue  
  
-Then-  
  
The darkness of night embraced the earth as a lonely school girl stood on a foggy beach listening to the sound of the waves rolling in to gently kiss the shore. A breeze drifted in off the ocean to dance with the girl's chocolate locks of hair as the gaze of her chestnut eyes held to the sea. The serenity of this place was almost overwhelming with its sights, sounds, and smells. The girl felt as though that dark sea would pull her in as she listened to its whispers.  
  
Then, there suddenly came the sound of an actual voice to her ears, "There is nothing to be afraid of."  
  
The voice was strong and masculine yet carrying a silky quality as it came forth from the sea to break through the girl's silent musings and draw her gaze in the direction from whence it came. To her profound amazement, the girl perceived the large figure of a man shrouded in a black cloak appearing before her in the mists beyond the waves. His hair was of the color of the sky on a cloudless summer day, and his eyes glowed faintly the color of a candied apple. His skin was a pale cream color, and his features were sculpted yet smooth as fine porcelain.  
  
"Nothing at all to be afraid of," came the voice again in a gentle manner as the mysterious figure strode in from the sea through the swirling mists that complemented his appearance entirely.  
  
The girl watched in amazement as that broad shouldered phantom of the sea came to stand towering before her. She found herself mesmerized by those ruby orbs staring calmly back at her as that strangely enrapturing voice softly rose from the phantom to speak to her again, "I just want to borrow a little bit of you life."  
  
The girl stood motionless watching this man as he raised an arm to point an strange ivory colored hand with long, pointed scarlet nails towards her.  
  
"That's a good girl," came his softly spoken praise as he pointed his index finger at her and lightly pressed the sharp nail-tip to her throat. Bizarre looking wells located on each of the knuckles swelled and started to pulsate as the finger pointed at the girl some how managed to draw blood from her veins. As the man drained her essence, he spoke to her some more, "I've come from far across the ocean to become the leader of your people."  
  
"Leader?" the girl asked curiously with an expression of confusion.  
  
"Yes. Of the Shinma," he answered.  
  
"Shinma? I don't know anything about Shinma," the girl said as she stared at him looking rather puzzled.  
  
"You may not, but your body should. We crossed the ocean in a similar manner long ago. At that time I granted to a power to someone with the same blood as you," the man quietly explained.  
  
"My blood?" the girl asked, even more confused than she was before as she stared up at the man who's hand moved to gently splay to her throat and cup her jaw.  
  
It that instant, something inside the girl hatched. Her eyes blinked, and when they opened again, she was someone forever different as her eyes now shone brightly gold into the foggy darkness. Now as the girl looked at the man before her, she found herself for the first time thirsting for the essence of another. Her mind in a daze, the girl's body acted instinctively of it's own accord, compelled by some reason unknown to take to from this man the same as he'd taken from her.  
  
The girl's hand slowly rose to snake around the man's neck as the girl ascended to hover in the air. The man gasped as he noticed the change in the girl's eyes. Suddenly, fear began to strangely course through him as he watched her draw to him. "Hold still!" he exclaimed trying to avoid what was to come.  
  
"I need blood," the girl said to him in her soft voice almost at a whisper as she embraced the man and leaned in, tilting her head.  
  
"Miyu!" the man cried out, but his words were already too late. The girl moved her young glossy lips to the delicate skin at the mans throat only to bare a new set of fangs which she thoughtlessly sank into his flesh. The man winced as the girl's fangs punctured his jugular, causing his blood to spill forth into her waiting mouth.  
  
In that moment, the shinma known as Larva was forever changed as his blood, mixed with hers, chylded him to the newly awakened vampire princess. He'd come to this land to defeat the Osa and claim leadership over the Japanese Shinma as his. In order to do that, his intent had been to forever seal away the powers of the one person with the ability, however latent, to stop him. Instead, he'd awakened those powers hidden inside her. Now chylded to her, his soul had become permanently mired with hers as one. He could hear her thoughts, see her memories, and sense her feelings.  
  
This girl, however young she was, had instead conquered him. As Larva found his face and voice then becoming sealed away behind a mask as his punishment for failure, his heart became warmed by the friendship so innocently offered to him by the vampire princess he'd awakened. The western shinma once renegade now bowed to pledge his loyalty and allegiance to Miyu. Thus began a friendship that would last eternity and change his life forever.  
  
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Author's Note: Yes, I know. This was nothing new. Merely, a retelling of how it all began. However, I thought that this scene should be revisited before I begin my tale, since it have everything to do with my story. Rest assured, Chapter 1 is coming very soon. It's already in the process of being written. ^_^ 


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

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          Se Himiko breathed in the crisp winter air as she casually strode down the street dressed in an outfit of green and a long, thick red winter coat lined with fleece. She was in search of something to do today. Cases were few and far in between these days. Even though no news was good news on the subject of the Shinma, this lack of work made her crazy with boredom not to mention thin in the pocket book. Then again, her job never really made her very much to begin with. 

As Himiko strode down the sidewalk away from the hotel where she was staying, her eyes stared at the bright blood colored fabric of the coat as she hugged it closer to her for warmth. The color turned her thoughts to the little vampire girl she had once chased. It had been far too long since she'd seen Miyu. 

Himiko had figured years ago when she first noticed the absence of Shinma activity that Miyu had at last fulfilled her destiny as Guardian. Yet, to this day, Himiko couldn't help but wonder. Was that really the reason behind Miyu's disappearance? And if so, what was the girl doing now? For as much as Himiko hated what Miyu had to do to survive, and thus, for a long time, hated Miyu, Himiko couldn't keep some remote part of her from feeling the loss of the girl she'd aided so many times in the battles against the stray Shinma. No matter how hard she tried to deny it, there was still always a part of the woman that secretly missed the Vampire Princess.

As the Spiritualist pondered on her memories of Miyu, her feet took her to a small suburban park where she found herself coming to stand at the edge of a pond frozen over. The sight made her think of the house Miyu had taken her to see. The house where two parents stood trapped behind a barrier frozen in time. Miyu had taken her there to try and convince her that the vampire girl was not someone deserving of Himiko's contempt. 

In that time, Miyu had reminded Himiko of an event who's memory time had mutated. Miyu had reminded Himiko of a time in her youth when she'd first met the vampire princess. Supposedly, at the time, Miyu had embraced her. Although Miyu told her that sometimes when people are embraced by a vampire, the new vampire within them doesn't always awaken right away. However, these days, Himiko had to wonder if she truly had been bitten. Surely, if she had, that part of her that was vampire would have awakened by now after all these years. Or would it? 

Himiko sighed and shook those thoughts from her head. It would do her no good to get all psyched up over something as sketchy as a distant memory. However, the thought of the old house were Miyu's parents had been imprisoned gave her an idea. Perhaps if she went there, she might find a clue or two as to where Miyu's been for the past five years. It certainly wouldn't hurt to try. Perhaps, along the way, she might even get lucky and land herself a new case.

Armed with this new plan of action, Himiko turned and began her journey back to the hotel to pack her things. Even if she didn't find anything, the excitement of chasing after something after so long of handling minor issues gave her a much needed surge of thrill. This brought a smile to brighten her face that had been so melancholy lately.

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The taxi cab pulled up to the curb and came to a stop. Himiko thanked the driver as she paid him his dues then got out to watch the cab drive away. Turning, she began her walk along the path that would eventually lead her to the slope she sought after.

With the air as cold as it was today, there weren't very many people about. Perhaps that was for the better, the woman though to herself as her feet carried her along. If she ran into something dangerous, she sure as hell didn't want any innocent bystanders getting hurt because of her drive to seek answers in a place so strongly connected to the Shinma.

Eventually, Himiko's feet brought her to stand before the little tunnel leading to the field she sought. There she came to a halt remembering the daydreams it gave her last time. Even now, after Miyu had helped her clarify what had happened that day that she came here and first met the vampire princess, Himiko still felt a chill race down her spine as she looked on at the land before her.

The spiritualist remained rooted where she stood for a good five minutes, simply waiting to see if her mere presence would be enough to attract Miyu's attention. It did not. Himiko sighed, tossing her hair, then continued on.

Her journey brought her to stand in the very field where she remembered finding the old mansion. Of course, like last time, as she looked about with a clear head, she found it to no longer be here. 

"Miyu?" Himiko voiced out to the deserted land. She received no answer. Though, as she pondered, she realized that past experiences with Miyu and the Shinma had taught her that things aren't always what they seem to be.

Breathing in deeply, Himiko closed her eyes and cleared her mind. Silently standing, she then began to use what little power she had to search the field for any clues it might possess. For minutes on end she stood there just like this, calmly waiting for a clue to manifest itself. However, when nothing showed up, she hung her head with a sigh of failure. And then, she opened her eyes. 

To Himiko's shock and dismay, as she turned to gaze at the field again, there before her was the house. After taking a moment to calm her nerves, she approached the aging building.

"Miyu?" she tried to call the vampire once again. Yet, once again, she got no answer. A better look around at the mansion then served her a clue things might not be as good as she'd surmised. Parts of the building showed signs there may have been a recent battle. After calling for Miyu several more times without success of locating the girl, Himiko decided to let herself in.

Cautiously, Himiko opened the front door and stepped inside. The inside of the house looked fairly clean as though it had recently been lived in. After shutting the door, Himiko politely slipped off her shoes and set them by the wall.

"Miyu?" Himiko tried again. Still, no luck.

Slowly, the spiritualist padded her way through the house while keeping her senses out-stretched, wary of anything that might still be present in the house. As she got deeper into the house, she began to discover definite internal signs of a recent battle. There was no doubt someone had been living here. Whoever it was met up with a very challenging adversary. The thought brought another chill to Himiko's spine.

Locating the room that had belonged to Miyu, Himiko found stronger signs of struggle. The fabric that had been Miyu's bed was trampled, shredded, and strewn about everywhere. Turning to head another way, Himiko found herself in the central part of the house. In the place where the seal had once kept Miyu's parents locked in suspended animation, Himiko found it to be now open. With the barrier now gone, Himiko could only guess that Miyu had succeed in freeing her parents.

They'd obviously lived here at least several years in peace and comfort. Yet, something happened within the past few weeks to change all that. Here, in the central part of the home, the damage was the greatest. The walls and ceiling where rattled with holes. Wood was viciously splintered and split. Furniture was burnt, shredded, and otherwise destroyed. Then there was the horrifying part. The blood stains. Everywhere, there were splatters of blood. 

Whatever had happened here, it wasn't pretty. There seemed to be a number of attackers, some terrifyingly strong. Seeing as Miyu's parents were obviously a great weak point to the girl, Himiko figured the blood in the room, or at least some of it, came from the mother and father. But what of Miyu and her servant? 

Himiko swallowed hard and backtracked to the front door. There, she put on her shoes and stepped back outside to take a look around. The blanket of snow on the ground covered the tracks, so that was of no use. However in a pocket of the yard near the bamboo forest, there lay two fresh graves. Himiko's heart sank as she realized she was right. How horrid it must have been for Miyu to endure such a loss this a second time, and this time for good. This finally brought Himiko back to the one question that had started this quest. Where was Miyu? 

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Penguine: There, as I promised you, Chapter 1. Only a few hours after I'd posted the prologue. Aren't you proud of me? Me who's been known to take eons to finish things? 

Heh. Well anyways, I know yall are probably hating me right now for the cliffhanger. But oh well. I've got a major headache right now and it's the best place I could think of to pull the chapter cut-off. More soon to come, of course.


	3. Chapter 2

Conquest

Chapter 2

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The rest of the evening, Himiko spent resting. She had a feeling things would soon get a little more than crazy. Bright and early the next morning, she checked out of the hotel then hit the streets. Several hours later, out of all of the gossip she'd listened in on, she heard nothing of any use to her. Then as she was passing a sushi bar, she got the break she was looking for.

Two older guys stood out front gabbing idly.

"Hey, speaking of weird, have you heard anything about the strange shit going on up around Mito's place?" asked one guy.

"Bah! I don't believe a word of that bogus bullshit," replied the other.

"Excuse me. Pardon me for interrupting, but did I hear you say something about strange happenings taking place?" Himiko asked carefully, hopeful she could pump them for more information.

"What's it to you, lady?" the skeptic retorted.

"Well, you see, I'm a spiritualist. I'm wondering if I might be able to help," she answered.

"Oh! Well, yeah. Just up the road a ways in the town on the other side of the river. People have been talking about ghosts…" the first man explained before Himiko stopped him.

"Thank you for the information. I'm most grateful," she said quickly before splitting the scene.

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Brad Johnston growled and threw down his text book before flopping back on the couch. He was getting absolutely no where in his quest to complete the report assigned to him in his economics course. Sighing heavily, he ran his fingers through his blond hair streaked with neon green then turned to glance out the front window of his apartment. He knew there was something he was suppose to find here in Japan, but what the hell it was he was searching for he hadn't the faintest idea. 

The moderately built young man watched through emerald eyes as flakes of snow drifted down from the heavens. Rising to his feet, he put on a jacket, gloves, and a toboggan. Turning then, he stepped outside, locked his door, then let his feet carry him away on a refreshing walk.

Brad smiled charmingly and waved to women he passed on the street as he made his way to the park. In the park, he randomly chose a path and immersed himself in the small pocket of nature's serenity. He listened as his sneakers crunched through the blanket of freshly fallen snow. His mind on other things, he failed to notice the strange shadow that followed him. That is, till something hidden deep inside him told him to turn around.

As Brad turned to look back the way he'd come, he gasped in surprise as he found what looked like the black shadow of a demon tiger racing towards him, ready to strike.

"Holy shit!" he exclaimed as he turned tail and took off running towards the lake in the distance. Quickly, he realized, no matter how hard he ran, it made no difference. This thing was far to fast. As he spun back to glance at the beast, he was sure it was going to leap in for the kill, hissing with razor sharp claws extended. 

A whistling sound met Brad's ears and a split second later a blast of fire collided with the shadow tiger. Brad instinctively hit the ground rolling out of the way as the blast sent the beast flying down the path to slam into a tree. Seeing this as his chance to escape, Brad sprang to his feet and made a mad dash to get out of the park and out of the way of that thing and whatever created that blast of fire.

          Nearing the park entrance, the sound of demonic screams caused Brad to toss a glance back behind him. However all he could see was trees, a giant swift moving shadow, and fire. With as close as he'd come to getting mauled, Brad wasn't willing to stick around to see what the hell all those two things were. That is, until he blindly collided with someone on the pathway, knocking them both over into the snow. Brad noticed by the sound of the scream, it was a girl an turned to see who he'd run into.

          "I'm so sorry, babe! I really didn't mean to run into you. But you and I both need to get the hell out of dodge else there's a fair chance that demon or whatever the hell's fighting it will come after us!" he blurted as he sprang to his feet and tried to help her up. The woman took one look at him and gasped.

          "Lemures!" she exclaimed going wide-eyed as she froze in shock.

          "Say what?" Brad asked over the sounds of a vicious battle in the forest.

          "Lemures! You're suppose to be dead!" the woman cried.

          "Pardon, but run that name by me one more time," Brad prodded, following that inner voice that had led him here to Japan in the first place.

          "L-Lemures," the woman stammered. Brad's jaw dropped as something inside him clicked. He whipped his head around to the battle.

          "Miyu. The one with the fire is Miyu! And the tiger is… oh SHIT!," he cursed as he realized what was going on. "Lady, I beg your pardon for my lack of explanation, but there is no time. Get the HELL out of here now if you value your life!" he barked, sparing pleasantries for later.

          Himiko started to object, yet as the demon tiger, now several stories tall started bounding their direction, she wasted no time in rising to her feet. Brad growled realizing they would lose time if they ran separately, so he picked her up and took off running. Despite her protests, he didn't even slow much less put her down.

          Then suddenly a loud feral scream shook the forest. Brad tripped over a root and went tumbling through the snow again with Himiko. The moment he was able to, he turned to look back towards the beast. He caught sight of it in time to see the last of it burn to ash in a pyre of Miyu's scarlet flame. Realizing the fight was now over, he allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief.

          "You're right. I did die that day at Miyu's hand. But remember my power was resurrection. I used the last of my strength on myself to reincarnate myself into a human being. For years, I've had dreams about my past life, but only when you said my name did the memories click," Brad explained. "Are you all right?" he asked as he faced Himiko.

          "I.. I.." she stuttered.

          "It's all right. I won't hurt you. My name is Brad now, by the way," he flashed her one of his charming smiles.

          "I'm all right. Just a little shaken. What just happened?"

          "That was the shadow tiger Shinma Kuroken. He was an ancient and powerful beast with a rebellious nature worse than even mine and Larva's. As to his reason for being outside the Dark when last I knew he was _inside_, I haven't a damn clue. We'll have to ask Miyu that one," Brad replied. He then blinked and gawked. "Wait a minute, for one, she didn't recognize me, and for two, Larva wasn't with her. What the fuck's going on?" he blurted as he got up and started walking back towards the battle.

          "Wait, I'm coming to," Himiko said as she got up and trotted after him. She hated the fact she had to be nice to the idiot. After all, she didn't trust him in the least, but he did know a whole lot more about the Shinma than she did. She was curious to find out what he intended to do about this.

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Penguine: Yippity do da. Another chapter done. Hey, it's only a mini-cliffhanger this time. ^_^

Review Replies

Chibi Parker:  HeeHee… Don't worry about waiting long on this story. I've already got the next 2 chapters written at this point. I'm just spacing out my uploads for added suspense. *giggles wickedly* I hope to finish another chapter or two tonight. This thing is just too much fun to write. ^_^


	4. Chapter 3

Conquest

Chapter 3

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Brad obliged to allow Himiko to catch up to him now that the danger had passed. The snow fell heavy now as they strode together towards the battlefield to have a talk with Miyu.

          "Miyu!" the spiritualist called out, trying to attract the girl's attention. Yet, oddly, no response came. "Where did she go?"

          "I don't know. But something's definitely not quite right here," Brad answered as baffled about it all as Himiko. As they reached the scene of the battle, they combed the area searching for the girl and calling her name. Suddenly, something caught Brad's eye and he froze with a gasp.

          "Miyu!" he blurted as he rushed over to a small motionless form becoming buried by the swiftly falling heavy snow. Himiko heard Brad and followed him. As he got to the girl's side, he knelt in the snow next to her. 

With her hair loose and pooled around her, Miyu lay in the snow upon her stomach fever stricken and unconscious. As Brad gently rolled her over onto her back, he and Himiko both noticed she was different. Not only was her hair no longer done up with the scarlet ribbon she normally wore in it, she also appeared to have aged a few years. Gone was the young junior high school girl she had been for so long. She had blossomed into a radiant girl just a step past 18 with curves in all the right places.

"Wow. Damn, Larva, how come you always get the good looking chicks?" Lemures muttered as he took off one of his gloves to check Miyu's pulse. "Shit! She's still alive, but she's got a fever that's through the roof!" he blurted with sudden worry.

          "I didn't know Shinma could get sick."

          "Yes, Shinma can get sick just like any other creature. Larva's specially a pain in the ass to take care of when he gets sick," Brad chuckled slightly. "But enough of that. We got to get her out of here and into bed," he said as he replaced his glove then carefully scooped the vampire up into his arms. "My apartment's not very far away. Though, I have a feeling it was me Kuroken was hunting. Ironic as it may be, do you still have a few tricks up your sleeve that might keep the Shinma at bay while Miyu recovers?"

          "I think so," Himiko nodded.

          "All right. Good," he said as he turned and headed back down the path.

          Himiko followed the ex-Shinma back to his apartment. He let her unlock and open the door while he held Miyu in his arms. The moment the door was open, he stepped inside. Immediately, he carried Miyu to his room and put her to bed. Himiko mean while shut the door then grabbed a box of table salt from the kitchen, then began using it to draw symbols on the floor near the walls in every room in the apartment. Using the apartments entire floor plan as her canvas and the table salt as her medium, Himiko drew the same symbols as she'd drawn on the wall when Larva was imprisoned by Lemures. Hopefully, that would be enough to ward off the Shinma that now hunted but Miyu and Lemures.

How ironic it was that she was now having to work along with the ex-Shinma to get the answers she needed. She still didn't entirely trust Brad. After all, as a Shinma, his power had rested on deceit. None the less, the fact that he was now relying on her abilities as a spiritualist inclined her to believe that he was in fact now human. Or was he? As conniving as Shinma were, this could all be an elaborate scheme to bring down Miyu as well as herself. Even down to the part where he supposedly tried to save her life. There was one way to find out.

As Himiko reached the bedroom where Brad had placed Miyu and was now tending to the girl's fever, she stopped at the doorway. "How do I know you're telling me the truth? How do I know you're really human now and not Shinma? How do I know you're not part of what's going on? And how do I know this isn't some elaborate scheme to kill Miyu and myself?" she asked pointedly. Brad blinked and turn to look at her. 

"I admit you have every reason not to trust me at this point. For all I did to you in the past. I can see why Miyu favors you. You're very smart," Brad praised. "Logically, you're right. For as much as I've told you, it's very easy to think that Lemures might be a part of what's going on with Miyu. The past has given me motive for sealing Larva away somewhere then killing Miyu for taking him from me. But, for as logical as it sounds, it's still wrong.

"As I told you, when Miyu incinerated me, I used the last of my power to reincarnate myself as a human. True, I could have used it to resurrect myself as a Shinma, but little good that would do me. That last time Larva spoke to me, I knew he spoke truth. I realized that there was little anyone, even a Shinma, could do to break the bond he has with Miyu. So if I were to reincarnate as a Shinma, I would have only been distancing myself further from him. As my friendship with Larva is so deep that I see him as a brother, I couldn't bare to do that. So I reincarnated into a simple human being in hopes that someday I would be able to reunite with my best friend.

"As fate would have it, destiny has obviously been merciful with me. It drew me back here to Japan from the west. It allowed me to find Miyu, the one person who can help me patch things up with Larva. However, I never counted on becoming entangled in another Shinma plot.

"Being human, I no longer have any power. They see me as a deserter, same as they see Larva. Thus, they want me dead. That much, I've figured out on my own. However, I'm not the only one that's needing the protection you're empowered to provide. With Miyu as sick and weak as she is, there's nothing she can do to defend herself from an attack. The Shinma who are after her, and now me, are counting on this. Therefore, both of us require your help in order to survive. For you, as smart as you are and as much as I hurt you in the past, I know my story isn't enough for you to trust me. But, for the sake of Larva who so adores this girl, and for the sake of this girl who currently teeters on the edge between life and death, I have to not just ask you for help," Brad told her. He then shifted to bow on his knees and place his hands and forehead to the floor. "I beg of you to help us. And if you won't do it for me, then do it for her. Do it for the innocent humans whom you fight for who will be in grave danger if Miyu is to perish."

Himiko blinked in surprise at the ex-Shinma. True, his story wasn't enough to convince her he was speaking the truth. But the fact that he was groveling at her feet, imploring her help, and even more so not for him but for the sake of Larva, Miyu, and humanity, that impressed her. He was certainly right. If Himiko truly wanted to guard mankind from the evils of the Shinma, she had no choice but to help him.

"I'm only a meager college student earning barely enough to keep going, but I'll even pay you the fee you normally ask others for when you offer your services. How does that sound? Do we have a deal?" Brad amended. He simply couldn't think of what more he could do to convince Himiko to help.

"Note that you're correct in your assumption that I still don't entirely trust you, but you have a deal. You're right about us both having something to gain from this," Himiko answered before stepping deep into the room to draw the last of the ward symbols out of salt on the floor under the window in the back of the room. "My name is Himiko, by the way," she told him with a glance out of the corner of her eye.

"Words can't express how thankful I am to hear that… Himiko-san," he smiled gently as he rose to his feet. As Himiko rose to hers, Brad turned back to Miyu. "I've got a cool rag on her forehead and an herbal rub on her chest. I don't think there's much more we can do until she wakes up," he said with a frown.

"Hopefully, that will be enough," Himiko replied. "In the mean time, would you mind indulging me a little more on who you are?"

"Not at all. It's the least I can do. Let's head into the living room and leave her be for a while," Brad answered as he turned to stride out of the room. Himiko followed him into the living room where he cleared his mess of books away to make room for them both to sit. 

As they sat in the living room, Brad elaborated a little more on himself. He first told her about his human life. He explained he'd grown up in a family with a German mother and an Irish father in a modest home in the suburbs of Los Angeles, California. He was the middle child with one older brother and one younger sister. Throughout his life, he'd had dreams of being someone else in other worlds but had never told his family about them. After high school, he started college, intending for a degree in computers. Now 22, he had moved to Japan recently to intern at one of the computer game companies while finishing up his studies. 

Brad explained to Himiko the real reason for coming to Japan was in fact the overwhelming desire to find something that he'd somehow lost. Only now, he knew what that was. Spinning off from that, he began telling Himiko bits about his life as a Shinma and his relationship with Larva. Grinning wickedly, he regaled stories of adventures he'd had with Larva. A few of those, were stories he playfully told of situations Larva would, these days, be embarrassed to hear being told. Though, Himiko got the picture, this was all part of Lemures' devious wild child personality. In that, Himiko found herself rather amused at some of the things Lemures had to say about Larva while he was safely out of ear-shot of the phantom Shinma. If it was really true that Larva had, at one time, paraded around London in the buck on a dare, she now had a totally different perspective on the man.

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Penguine: There we have it. Another chapter. I'm surprised I'm managing to come up with so much content. O.o Normally that's a bit of a challenge for me. // Now if only Lemures had had a camera for when Larva did that…. *giggles* // Oh yeah, Happy Halloween, folks! ^_^

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Chibi Parker: Well, I gave you Miyu in this chapter. However, Larva will be a little late. Where he is and why… you'll just have to read and find out, now won't you? *cackles*


	5. Chapter 4

Conquest

Chapter 4

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As the conversation reached a pause, Himiko panned her chestnut gaze to the window to notice that night had fallen swiftly in the time that she had been listening to Lemures talk. His eyes followed hers to shift into an expression of brief surprise. With all the talking he'd done, he completely lost track of time.

"Wow. Amazing how time flies when you're not listening to college lectures. I should get my ass up and start some dinner," he said as he rose from his seat.

"Would you mind if I did the cooking?" Himiko asked as she rose as well. She still wasn't totally comfortable with him so she decided she'd feel a little better if she handled the food.

"Not at all, if it helps you feel any better. Let me show you where everything is real quick, then I'll get out of your way," Brad said as he walked with her into the kitchen. After showing her where everything in the kitchen was located, he walked back across the great room to sit back down on the couch and let her be. He watched her a moment or two as she set to work on making some stir fry out of the stuff in his fridge, then he frowned and picked back up that repulsive text book.

Himiko kept an eye on him out of the corner of her eye as she added some oil to the wok she'd heated on the stove. She tossed the oil around so as it would coat the wok, then threw in the bits of stew meat. Letting that cook, she moved to the counter and cut up some veggies.

"Holy shit!" came a sudden exclamation from behind her. Himiko spun to look at Brad. He had a shocked expression.

"You know, it really would be helpful if I listened to my own words sometimes!" he growled to himself. Then he looked up at Himiko, "I know what's happened to Larva. Well, sorta."

"What?"

"Obviously, the only way to pry him from Miyu's side would to take him by force like I did. He _had_ to have been taken by someone. Taking Larva from Miyu is a simple way to expose a weak point in the Guardian. Someone's taken Larva in an attempt to weaken Miyu. Unlike the time I pulled that stunt, this person's succeeded in hitting her hard where it counts," Lemures explained.

"That would make sense. Whoever's responsible must also be pretty powerful. Taking Larva has to have been the second blow they struck her," Himiko replied as she added the veggies to the wok before everything burnt.

"The _second_?!" Lemures blinked.

"Yes. The Shinma orchestrating all of this has to be someone who knows Miyu well enough to know each of her weak points. The two attacks against her have hit her in the two places where it would hurt her most," Himiko told him, while leaving out the details of the attack on Miyu's parents and home.

"A Japanese Shinma? What Japanese Shinma would be that close to her?"

"Let me think a minute. She might have told me something at some point that may help us," Himiko answered as she tossed the food in the wok. Brad, in the mean time, set aside his book and got up to come set the tiny four seat-er table. Himiko brooded deeply as she took the wok off the stove and shut off the burner. She poured the food into a large bowl he had ready then stuck the wok into the sink, running cold water into it to cool it down.

Himiko turned back towards the table then stood in place staring into space as she filed through the things Miyu had told her. Her mind eventually took her back to that house. Her brows furrowed at the chilling memory, yet she endured it ever hopeful. Then it came to her. There was one Shinma her parents had been connected to.

"Oh no," Himiko said as the horror of that possibility settled upon her.

" 'Oh no' what?" Brad looked at her warily. "Spill the beans, babe. And while you're at it, have a seat. The food's getting cold."

"There's one Shinma I can think of that's known her longer than Larva," Himiko said as she sat down at the table.

"Who's that?" the ex-Shinma prodded, half afraid to know.

"I don't know his name, but he's the one that imposed the job of Guardian upon. He's the leader of the Japanese Shinma," she replied as she piled food onto her plate.

"_WHAT?!_" Lemures nearly jolted out of his skin. He took a few breaths to calm down then spoke again, "What the hell would her boss want with trying to destroy her like this?"

"I don't know. That's what we've got to find out," Himiko said grimly.

"Oh boy, if it _is _the leader of the Japanese Shinma that's after her, then I'm thinking we've got ourselves a mondo big problem," Lemures said before stuffing food into his mouth.

"I second you on that thought," Himiko nodded.

"Wow, this is really good," Brad commented as he tasted the food.

"Thank you."

"Do you clean bathrooms too?" he grinned then instantly shied back as Himiko rewarded him with a glare.

"Very funny. Do you wish me to remain here or not?" the woman said coolly.

"Ummm.. yes. And actually, I would prefer if you did. I think it would be a lot safer if we stuck together. Especially with where you hypothesize that this is going," Brad said, hitting her remark on both legs. Himiko blinked and stared at him.

"Sure. I'll take the couch, and you can stay in the bedroom with Miyu. There's nothing to worry about as far as catching anything from her. Her illness is chronic, not germ-induced, so she's not contagious or anything. Plus, it'd be a good idea if one of us stayed near her, and, obviously, she trusts you," Brad reasoned.

"As much as I hate to admit it, again, you have a point. It looks like I really don't have much of a choice in the matter," Himiko answered dryly.

"I know, you have a lot of reasons to resent me. Please believe me when I say how truly sorry I am for all the trouble I caused you the last time we met. I was an idiot who wasn't man enough to accept the fact that my best friend had found a soul mate. I tend to do a lot of stupid things when I get pissed off. I sincerely apologize and hope that, some how, I can earn your trust before whatever this is that's going on really gets out of hand," Brad said as he pushed his food around with his chopsticks.

"Your apology is accepted. However, on the part of trusting you, we'll just have to wait and see," Himiko told him. Brad could only nod his head dully and stuff his mouth with another bite of his dinner.


	6. Chapter 5

Conquest

Chapter 5

---------------------------------------------------------------------

          After dinner, Brad helped Himiko clear the table. Together, they washed dishes, then put them away. Once everything was cleaned up, they headed back into the living room to sit and make small talk as Brad cracked open a Calculus book and worked on his math homework.

          An hour later, the sound of shuffling bare feet drew their attention to the bedroom door. There, Miyu stood leading heavily on the door jam looking far weaker than either of them had ever seen her. Himiko blinked while Brad gasped in shock at the girl who currently looked like the walking dead. 

          Miyu's hair was all messed up from tossing in the bed. Her skin was bone white with dark circles around her hazy eyes which where dull ash brown in color. Her flesh glistened with fever's sweat. Her muscles were taunt as she held onto the door jam with an iron grip in order to stay standing on her legs that seemed to be made of rubber. Her brows were furrowed as she fought hard against the dizziness that was currently trying to consume her.

          "Damn, gal. Sick as you are, you don't need to be up wandering around trying to impress anyone. It's not going to help Larva a bit! You need to get your little vampire ass back to bed," Brad said as he stood to come try and get the girl back into bed. Miyu focused on him then with wide-eyed with the shock of recognition.

          "W-where did you come from?" she asked in a faint voice.

          "When you torched me, I used the last of my power to send my soul to the body of a kid who'd just been killed in a car accident and reincarnated myself. Now let's get you back into bed. I'm not going to answer anymore of your questions till you're back in there taking it easy," Lemures told her. Yet as he approached, Miyu warily stepped back.

          "Miyu, are you capable of telling whether or not he speaks truth?" Himiko said as she too approached.

          "Himiko…" Brad started to protest.

          "Shut up and let her answer," Himiko barked before he could say anything more. Miyu blinked at Himiko, seeming to notice her presence for the first time. Looking back to Lemures, she squinted her eyes.

          "Yes.. He is.. human as he.. says," Miyu panted. 

          "You look absolutely awful, Miyu," Himiko commented with a frown as she cautiously made her way towards the girl.

          "I.. feel like.. like I'm dying.. yet.. immortality has kept me alive… no.. no matter how hard.. I try to give in," Miyu complained with a look of agony. Himiko carefully stepped to Miyu's side as she reached out her hands to Miyu's shoulders.

          "You can't give up, Miyu. We need you. Humanity needs you. Larva needs you to get well so you can fight this. I'm not sure how long my ward can keep the three of us safe in here from the Shinma," Himiko told her. 

          "Don't let Larva down, Miyu. After all that he's done to help you, you owe it to him to get better and fight back," Lemures added.

          A deep shudder coursed through Miyu's body causing Himiko to frown with worry. Miyu let go of the door jam as her legs started to buckle while the girl continued to tremble.

          "Miyu!" Himiko gasped as she swiftly moved to catch her. Yet, the girl's dead weight was too much for Himiko to hold up for long. Brad twitched, wanting to help, but stayed back for fear Miyu might lash out at him in her weakened state. On the floor, as Himiko loosened her grip on the girl's waist, Miyu slowly hunched over to press her forehead and arms to the ground with clinched fists. Himiko and Brad watched as the scene around them faded into the blacks and reds of Miyu's own personal little world. Turning their gaze back to her, they watched as Miyu gave up her hold on the flood gates, releasing the tears of deep pain and anguish she had pent up inside.

          "Hey. I thought vampires weren't able to cry," Brad blinked.

          "You forget, part of her has been human. The wounds she's been dealt recently, I should think, are plenty enough to do this to her," Himiko told him, some what surprising even herself with her answer.

          "How do you know what I've endured?" Miyu spat with angst.

          "I started to wonder why I hadn't seen you in so long, so I took a trip back to that mansion. Needless to say, the state of the house gave me my answer," Himiko replied.

"Huh?" Brad blinked, looking confused.

"Ask later," Himiko told him with a scowl.

"Uhh.. Okay," Brad said with a wry face.

"Lemures figured out the part about Larva. Or at least some of it. But, we're still a little confused as to what exactly is going on," Himiko finished.

"Why are you here?" Miyu asked as she raised up to look at Lemures through tear filled eyes.

"Because no matter where he is, nor who he's with, I still consider Larva my best friend. If not a brother of the heart. I admit, what I did the last time was really stupid. I see the error in my judgment. But I'm clear on all that now. Besides the fact that you're now my link to Larva, you're also the most important thing in the universe to him. So, as his friend, I've got to do all I can to try and help you. For his sake. And, as hard as it may be, I guess it's time I try and make friends with you," Lemures answered. Miyu blinked at him, then collapsed back to the ground.

"I'm sorry, but… I don't think I can get him back this time," Miyu whimpered.

"Why not? Where exactly is he? Who's taken him?" Lemures pressed. Miyu turned to stare at him for a minute. Then she stuck out her hand, palm up. In her hand, then appeared, a grapefruit sized orb of glassy midnight black.

"Osa has him. This is all I have of him now," she said faintly. 

Lemures bent to pick the orb up into his hands. Turning it over, he inspected the object. He then found, as he stared into the orb, out of the darkness appeared the white mask Larva was doomed to wear for failing to kill Miyu that night so long ago when he was first bound to the vampire. The ex-Shinma's face grew hard with anger and determination.

"Why was this done to him?"

"Because one night when I had my back turned, a group of Shinma managed to break out and stray from the Dark. This is my punishment."

"Why the hell would your leader punish you so severely that it would render you too weak to fight? That's absolutely the most absurd tactic I've ever heard of!"

"The part of my punishment having to do with Larva's capture, it's called blackmail, Lemures," Miyu growled.

"Oh for the love of… No, uh-uh. If the leader of the Japanese Shinma's going to play that dirty just to recapture a group of renegades lucky enough to escape past the Guardian, then he's got to be taken out. A hypocrite does _not_ deserve the leader's seat. Miyu dear, I know I don't have any of Shinma power anymore, but I _do_ have the knowledge. Lots of it. I offer whatever knowledge of spells and incantations I have that might help to you if you will make a stand and fight. Whatever strength you need that I might be capable of providing, I will gladly provide as much as I possibly can," Lemures told her. Miyu blinked at him. 

"Please. You're the Guardian. You _must_ be able to do something!" he pleaded. She turned her gaze to the ground in shame, lacking any confidence she had the power to bring down Osa. Lemures sighed then did the only other thing he could think of that might win her will to fight. "Please, Miyu. For Larva's sake, I beg of you," he dropped to the ground and bowed low to her, hoping to all the heavens that she would accept. Miyu sighed and bowed her head to ponder for a moment. She then slowly looked back to Lemures.

"Very well. If you tell me what you know and lend me strength, I will do what I can to fight back. But, realize, I'm not agreeing to this for you. I'm agreeing to this in order to save Larva. Because, in that point, you are right. I do owe it to him. I just don't know if I'm strong enough to defeat someone as ancient and powerful as Osa," Miyu finally answered as she pushed herself up into a sitting position.

"Understood," Lemures nodded.

"Pardon me for interrupting, but in all of the other battles where you fought Shinma, you used their names to defeat them. By any chance do you know what Osa's real name is?" Himiko asked with concern.

"No, but I know a way to find out. Don't worry about that part," Miyu answered.

"Another question. You're a vampire. Obviously, you're going to need to feed. How.." Lemures started to ask.

"You said you would offer me strength, didn't you?"

"Doh! Man, I swear I will never complain nor refer to the blood test or drive folks as vampires _ever_ again," Brad said as he hung his head. Himiko couldn't help but smirk at that one. Miyu just wearily rolled her eyes.

"Miyu?" Brad spoke up again.

"What?

"One more stupid question."

"I'm listening."

"Where's the bathroom around here?" he asked as he gazed around at the bazaar world he now stood in. Both women groaned. 


	7. Chapter 6

Conquest

Chapter 6

-----------------------------------------------

          An icy wind blew harshly against Miyu as she found herself wandering barefoot towards the sea. Storm clouds shrouded the late night sky from view and bathed the land in a sea of darkness. The vampire princess had no clue why she'd come here in the first place. Perhaps for comfort. Perhaps for hope. 

          Miyu shivered as frothy waves rushed past her feet. That was another thing. If she was truly immortal again as Osa had said, then why did wind carry daggers and the sea bear claws of frigid chill that made her very bones ache?

          So much had happened lately, the Guardian's head was still spinning. She felt trapped in a perpetual nightmare of everlasting pain, sorrow, guilt, and grief. Almost forgotten was the feelings of joy, happiness, warmth, and love. Long lost was any amount of fulfillment in her life. She found herself wondering why she even cared anymore with all she'd ever cared for taken away from her. After all, what was life without one's family, friends, and, most of all, soul mate? 

          Miyu blinked. Mist now surrounded her as it rolled in off the ocean. How long had she been standing here? She hadn't the faintest idea. All since of time had left her the moment she'd set foot upon this shore. It seemed to her, it had been just like this all the many years ago when she'd first laid eyes on Larva as he strode proudly out of the sea to ask her if he could borrow some of her life.

          Recalling that night, Miyu found herself once again gazing out into that foggy storm-tossed ocean. Then strangely, in the blink of an eye, she found herself totally there once more. Her body was that of a 13 year old school girl, freshly out from class. Her hair was a bite shorter and styled as she'd done way back then.

          'But how can this be?' Miyu thought to herself. A split second later, her ears perceived a voice floating in towards her. A soft masculine voice, that seemed far more than vaguely familiar.

          "There is nothing to be afraid off," he said smoothly and calmly. There was only one Miyu knew of with a voice like that one. And only one that had spoken words to her like that. Could it be? Could it be her dear Larva? If this was a recreation of the past, then it must be him. 

Miyu let out her breath only to hold it again, fearful of doing anything to ruin the event. Then, to her profound joy, there he was, gliding with confident grace out of the water. His ruby eyes regarded her and her alone.

 "Nothing at all to be afraid of… my precious Miyu," he spoke again.

'Wait a minute,' Miyu thought quickly. 'That wasn't how it went. She had every single word, every breath, every movement, every scent burned into memory. That last bit was, by no doubt, an ad-lib!

"Who are you?" Miyu asked boldly. She watched as his mouth moved, yet now she couldn't hear a word he was saying. It was as if the memory was now playing on mute. Then, to her shock, she heard his voice within her mind as she had for all the times when he could not speak to her out right. 

"You know very well who I am, Miyu. Please, do not tell me you have forgotten me so soon. I know that not to be the truth as I know you better than anyone else ever has. Perhaps even better than even you know yourself," Larva said. As he spoke, Miyu found the scene fading to black save for the man before her. Now, it was she as she was now and Larva standing facing each other in a dark abyss. 

Miyu did not answer but let out her held breath and gulped. Her brows furrowed as she now tried to discern what was real and what was the fault of her own imagination. Her heart thumped heavily within her chest as she felt Larva raise his pale palm to gently cup her chin, raising it till her golden eyes met his scarlet ones.

"Please don't fret. This is neither the time nor place as it has cost me far too much energy to weave this connection, and we don't have a lot of time. Your blood should be able to easily tell the difference between me and a vision in a dream. Remember?" Larva gently advised her. Miyu blinked. She hadn't thought of that.

"Y-yes. It does. But how? How are you here? Larva, I'm so scared! I don't know what to do anymore. I've had everything I have taken from me. I haven't the strength to fight like this! Much less Osa," Miyu cried as she tried to fling herself to him. To her great comfort, she felt her body press to his and his arms move to embrace her shuddering form.

"Miyu… Do not worry of how I arranged this. Focus on healing yourself and building your strength for the war to come. No, it won't be easy. In fact, things will most likely get worse before they get better. That's how it goes in any monumental storm. But, Miyu, despite what you may think, I know you have it in you to fight this and win! You are not only vampire, you are the Guardian. You are the shinma's best! Not even Osa will have the ability to stand up to you once you've grown to meet your full potential!" Larva told her as he allowed himself to hug her tightly. Nor could he deny himself a secret sniff of her sweet smelling dark chocolate tresses.

"But Larva…" Miyu started to protest to his words.

"No buts, Miyu. You have to try! Please promise me you'll try," he pleaded. He then blinked as her memories flowed through his own mind via their link by blood, mind, and spirit. "Lemures found you, did he not? He offered his help to you, did he not? Much of what he knows, I taught him. And vise versa. Miyu, listen to him. Let him help you. Let him teach you. Let him train you in my place. And know that when he does, it won't just be him that's helping you. It's him and I together as the brothers of heart that we are. Do you understand?" Larva stared her straight into her golden eyes as he spoke this. Miyu bit her lip and looked down as she pondered. After a minute, she then nodded.

"Yes. I understand. It doesn't mean I'm any less scared, though," she told him.

"Oh, my dearest Miyu," Larva sighed and hugged her tight once again. "You are a fool to think you are the only one. Over the many years we've journeyed together, you've taught me to feel emotions as you do. Don't you know I'm just as frightened and pained as you?" he said in quaking voice as he bowed his head over her shoulder.

"Larva!" Miyu gasped in shock.

"But Miyu, that's how I know we can win this. That's the advantage we have over Osa. Especially you, who have once been human and have a true grasp on emotion. Within you lives all those feelings of life that Shinma living in darkness are denied. You can love, you can hate, you can fear, and you can encourage. Love, loyalty, courage, honor, trust, endurance… and hope.. all of these things Osa lacks where as you do not. Hang on to your feelings and don't let them go. Use your anger as a weapon of justice and righteousness to overcome the odds and defeat this enemy who has so disobeyed the rules that even he himself had proclaimed all Shinma must follow!"

"I… I hadn't thought of it like that," Miyu admitted.

"You are the Guardian. It was your mother who gave you the power to overcome this. Remember when she told you that you have a choice. This is what she meant. 

"You have a choice to give up and give in. To fall by the wayside and let Osa walk all over you. And you have the choice to stand up to him. To face him and tell him how it is. Only you can make that choice, Miyu. No one else, not even I, can make that choice for you."

"Larva…"

"Miyu… As I stand here and look at you now, I am overwhelmed with pride. Over the years, since the day you took me in from the sea, I have watched over you and guided you as you walked your fated path. Now, here you are before me, and I see not the same girl I met on that beach. You have grown and blossomed. You have grown from an innocent school girl to a wise and beautiful young woman. You have grown from a reckless less-than-amateur to a powerful and cunning warrior."

"Larva!" Miyu gasped as she felt heat rising to her cheeks in a flattered blush.

"I mean… My god, Miyu! Had I realized the truth of how much power you have, I swear, even then, I would have pissed in my pants!" the Western Shinma said outright.

"Oh boy. You said Lemures and you are like brothers. I'm now beginning to notice what you mean," Miyu said smugly. Larva blinked at her and promptly started laughing.

"Yes, I do suppose that would be something that you would more expect to come out of _his_ mouth," Larva laughed warmly. Miyu found herself unable to resist the lure of his contagious mood and joined in laughing along with him.

Gods, it felt good to laugh. Even just that little bit. They say laughter is the best medicine. But Larva and Miyu had to agree. 

"I must go. But before I do, Miyu, I want you to make a promise to me. I want you to promise me that no matter what happens, you'll do your best to take care of yourself. And that you will fight this with all your might till you either win or die trying!"

"Larva…"

"Promise me! Please, just promise me," he pleaded to her with all desperation in his voice, face and eyes. His eyes, she could see now the tears that had welled up within them. The sight broke her heart. In that, she suddenly felt the strongest urge to strive and succeed than she ever had in her life.

"I promise! Larva, I promise I won't give up! I'll fight this! I'll fight it and I'll win! For you and for the world that depends on it!"

"That's a good girl," Larva said in both her mind and her ears. Miyu found herself once again in that memory. This time, she didn't dare break it, but followed it through to the point of biting him in exchange for the blood he took. Just as she did the first time, she did now.

"Larva, stay with me. Please stay with me forever."

"Miyu… I will. Forever," came his response. Yet in her mind she heard one more thing. "Miyu, remember. Always remember – I love you."

Miyu couldn't resist the surge of tears that rushed to her eyes upon hearing his words. Like those he had spoken to her that first day, these he'd said to her now, she would burn to memory for all eternity. It was then, just as she did, that she suddenly heard his scream. 

Miyu's eyes snapped to attention to see electrical energy crackling all around her beloved servant, "Larva!"

"I'll be all right! Go! Return to safety!" he yelled within her mind as he slammed his mask over his face and drew back all of his power to reserve. 

Though, he was helpless to resist crying out in pain from the nasty medicine Osa threw at him upon discovering what he was up to, Larva still knew he secretly had the upper hand. No matter how much Osa hurt him, Larva's energy, blood bond, and lifeline were now all sealed away behind that mask. As Larva, himself had applied it, there was no way Osa would get it off without Larva or Miyu. Then there was Miyu. He had succeeded in doing his job in showing her the truth inside her and how to approach the coming battle. 

Though, this time, he could not be there to fight by her side, he knew that some part of his spirit would be – through Lemures, and through Miyu herself. The fight ahead of them was still a huge gamble, but Larva rested with comfort and hope in the knowledge that Miyu now had what she needed to ultimately win.  

'How ironic,' he thought to himself. How ironic indeed. He'd come to this land in seek of conquest. It had been his goal to become the ruler of the Japanese shinma. He'd come face to face with the Guardian herself with the intent of killing her before she realized the power she'd been given. Not only had he failed to kill her, he'd actually been the one to awaken her latent vampire blood. 

Now, as he looked back over it all, he realized in hindsight that it was meant to be that way. In truth, he had not failed at all. He had merely merged himself with the one being in existence with the power to defeat the Osa. All that had happened in the past was merely wise extended preparation for the true battle for conquest. That battle, he'd though he'd lost had actually never even begun. Until now!

Miyu shrieked in horror as she watched Larva get ripped away from her by Osa's omnipotent hand. She felt her stomach churn along with the waves of the sea. It was then, already too late, that she noticed, those waves had been suddenly turned against her. 

Miyu's golden gaze stared up at the wall of water surging towards her. She knew instantly there was no out running it. Larva's words played back through her head.

'Focus on healing yourself and building your strength for the war to come.'

'Okay,' Miyu thought. 'This, I do for you, Larva! Please hang on!' Resigned, Miyu swiftly ducked down into a fetal position on the ground with her hands over her head as she drained all her strength to the reserve pool. A split second later, the wall of icy water came crashing down upon her with supernatural strength. Putting up absolutely no defense, Miyu let the darkness brought on by the cold, for the time being, consume her. For a while, she would sleep. Then, when she awoke, her life and purpose would become a totally different ball game.

---------------------------------------------

Pen's notes: Yay! Finally, my writing muse has returned to help me dish out a new chapter to Conquest. And quite a good one at that. Not even I had a clue where the story was going while I was writing this. I had started it out thinking that Miyu would be having this horrible traumatizing nightmare where a dream version poor Larva gets killed er something. But no. As it turned out, yall got the Larva cameo yall were looking for. And in a totally awesome way! We even got a little blurb that told yall exactly what I meant in the title and what the ultimate goal is. I'm shocked! O.o! 

Gee, talk about teaching me to complain about the Union of Penguine's Muses forcing me to give them some time off over the holidays! I finally complied, and look what happened! Bleh, that foot tasted awful! *faints*

*Get's whapped over the head with her own keyboard by Lemures.* OWWIES!!

Okay! Okay! I'm awake now! Sheesh!

Anywho…. On to replies to reviewers! ^_^

Rageful_Jewel: I love the OAVs! Don't get me wrong, the TV series, and what little I've read of the manga are cool, but the art and the depth of writing in the 4 episode OAV just took the cake. 

Queen_of_Blades: I think the ones you're talking about are from the TV series. The OAV versions I got are fan-subbed I believe. Search the net. There's bound to be a place that has them.

LaDemon: Thankies. ^_^ I do whenever my writing muse lets me. Take long expanses of inactiveness up with her. *points to the wise-ass muse*

Steahl: At this point in the story, Reiha would have already been defeated. And the ante's been upped in this level of the game. Miyu and company have much BIGGER problems ahead of them. Heh-heh. Soon the shit'll hit the fan and it'll be all or nothing. *Pen suddenly hears Kenny Rogers sing'n in her head.* 

Drow_goddess: Heehee. You finally got yer wish! ^_^ Well.. sorta.

Rogue77: People say it both ways. It really doesn't matter which. They both work. 

If ya really get confused about some of the stuff I've written based on OAV scenes, email me and I'll see what I can do to untangle yer knot. ^_^

HAHA! You ain't the only one go'n crazy! This happens to be one of my favorite stories out of all of the fan fiction I've written. And the way I write, sometimes I know just as much about what's going to happen around the curve of the road as you do. I think, for me, that's the whole fun behind writing. Because even the writer becomes a member of the audience wondering what's going to happen next. It's an adventure! ^_^

Chibi Parker: *giggles* Here, you go! One new chapter! And a good deep long one at that! *cheers*

Lisa: No, I didn't forget you. ^_^ I thank you very much for yacking with me through email. I enjoy it immensely and look forward to chitchat'n more. ^_^ ,V,, 

Whew! That's a lot of reviewers! I thank each and every one of you for taking time to share yer thoughts. I very much appreciate it. I will try my best to update as much as possible despite my current webcomic project and starting back to school here this term. I may even draw a picture or two to go with the story if at some point a scene inspires me enough to do so. If I do, of course, I'll let you know where to find it/them when they're done. ^_^

That's all for now. Take care and Happy New Year everybody!

Oh, and in case I don't update by Jan 12.. *passes out cake to everyone* here's some virtual b-day cake! I'll be 23 on that day. Heh.. yeah.. I know. I don't act it a bit. But who cares, ne? ^__________^


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